Great Overall Septo-Rhinoplasty Experience (Updated!)

I would absolutely, without a doubt, recommend Dr....

14 Jun 2012

I would absolutely, without a doubt, recommend Dr. C. I had two recommendations from a family friend to PSs in the Milwaukee area and ended up picking Dr. C to do my surgery although I didn't know anyone who knew him. I was absolutely terrified to have this surgery with someone whom I had only selected based on my own research and intuition, but exactly one week after surgery, I feel certain that I made the right choice. I just got my splint off yesterday, and although my nose is clearly swollen, I'm frankly in love with it. This coming from a girl who, like so many of us, was always *dreadfully* uncomfortable with her crookedness, hanging columnella, hump and overprojection :) Perhaps most importantly, I can already breathe as well as I did before surgery, at least intermittently (the stuffiness comes and goes), so I'm confident that my breathing will actually improve in the long run (one of my main goals in having the operation).

The most impressive thing about my experience with Dr. C is that he *listened* to me in a truly meaningful way. The day before my surgery, I was looking at some of the photos on his website and realized that there were a few things about my "ideal nose" that differed from the outcomes for some of his patients and that I hadn't thought to discuss with him previously. I eventually found out that some of the things I liked about my nose and wanted to preserve are not exactly fashionable these days (e.g., the slight hourglass shape of my nose from the front, which I know others on here have said they hate!) -- but regardless, when I explained what I needed, Dr. C completely understood and actually modified the plan he had made for the surgery pretty significantly to ensure that I'd be happy with the results. Just a week later, it's already clear that Dr. C truly understood what I wanted and was able to customize my treatment to align with my own aesthetic ideals, even when they were perhaps atypical. I am definitely proof that you *must* communicate what you want and find a doctor who can help you to achieve those goals (as long as they're reasonable given the current structure of your nose).

Right now, the only thing I worry about is how a decrease in swelling may change my nose. I already like it so much that I hope it doesn't change too much! But if you ask me, that's about the best fear you can have after an operation like this!

Some basic facts about my experience:
--Everything we accomplished we did via a closed procedure -- a huge surprise to me!
--My bruising (and my overall physical condition) was worst on the third day, but neither the bruising nor the pain was ever truly terrible, and I'm going around with no makeup on after only a week, with only a slight line of bruising under one eye.
--The surgical center that Dr. C works with is truly great. The nurse I worked with before my surgery was also there during my recovery and was jovial and sweet. Both Dr. C *and* the surgical center called the day after my surgery to see how I was doing. I received *flowers* from Dr. C's office. Flowers!! My family was so impressed at the follow-up care I received that they have been telling their friends about it.
--Dr. C is especially good at fixing crooked noses. He has page after page of photos of folks who have not originally been blessed with symmetrical noses...but whose noses are amazingly straight after he's done with them! (However, Dr. C also seems to be very good at understanding what will look good on you. The rest of my face is a little asymmetrical, so rather than giving me a perfectly symmetrical nose that would not, for example, have lined up with my lips, he corrected it just enough so that it perfectly blends in with my face.) I mention this because I've heard that correcting asymmetry can be one of the most challenging aspects of rhinoplasty :)
--You'll see in my pictures that my nose was severely overprojected from one side. However, I didn't ask for too much deprojection because it was very important to me not to look too different and to maintain the structure of my nose (especially my capacity to breathe).

I have been unhappy with my nose and breathing for years, and I literally can't believe I waited so long to do this. I wanted to write this review mainly to encourage others who might feel like me and be intimidated at the idea of choosing a surgeon with whom they don't have personal/family experience. I'm so glad that I didn't let myself be dissuaded from doing this. Bottom line: it's scary, but it's *worth it*!

Apparently my photos didn't post, so I'm trying...

14 Jun 2012

Apparently my photos didn't post, so I'm trying again!!

It's been almost a year since I had this...

5 May 2013

it's been almost a year since I had this procedure, and things are still pretty great. I can breathe amazingly well (the main purpose of the procedure for me), and although some of my original asymmetry has returned and the cartilage at the tip of my nose is a little bit uneven (not as a result of grafts, which I didn't have; it's just the way my existing cartilage settled), it's nothing compared to the original issues I had. I'm still very glad that I had the surgery, although the early results were *so* perfect-looking that it's been a little challenging adjusting to the small imperfections that have become visible with time/as the swelling has gone down.

4.5 months after minor touch-up: things are even better

11 Dec 2013

So, as I was saying in the comment below, we did a minor touch-up this past summer (at no cost to me) that nearly eliminated the small imperfections after my original surgery; the asymmetry that had returned is basically entirely gone, and the cartilage at the tip of my nose is almost completely even now. Whereas I did stress about my nose at some points last year, since the touch-up I've barely even thought about it because things are so close to perfect! And my breathing, the original reason for my surgery, continues to be much better than it was before I had this done.